A Scottish fishing crew were nearly dragged underwater when their fishing nets became snagged on a Russian submarine, according to trawler skipper Angus Mcleod.

The crew of the 62ft vessel Aquarius had two nets in the water off the coast of the Outer Hebrides trawling for haddock, monkfish and skate. At around 11:30pm the nets became entangled with something under the water.

“Suddenly a force beneath our boat dragged the nets from behind us to in front of us,” said Mcleod, in an interview with The Daily Mail. “It was very powerful because the nets were full of fish and very heavy.”

“The submarine was then ahead of Aquarius and heading on a northerly bearing towards international waters and bringing our nets along behind it,” he added.

Mcleod says the Coastguard had told him that there were no NATO submarines in the area. The Marine Accident Investigation Bureau is investigating the incident.

“I have been at sea for 30 years – and between the five of us there is 110 years’ experience – and we have never experienced anything like that. The sea conditions were good. We were mystified – we just couldn’t explain it.”

“Only a submarine could have done this – it was a clear, still night and there were no other boats around.

The accident has cost Mcleod around £10,000 in damage to his boat and loss of earnings.

“We were eventually cut loose when the 150ft-long dog rope, which attaches the nets to the ship, wrapped itself around Aquarius’s propeller and got ripped apart. We were then able to sail back to port.

“Had the submarine headed for deeper waters we might have sunk with it, but I don’t want to dwell on that.”